The following description relates to cardiac monitoring, for example, by monitoring cardiac electrical activity.
The electrical activity of the heart can be monitored to track various aspects of the functioning of the heart. Given the volume conductivity of the body, electrodes on the body surface or beneath the skin often display potential differences related to this activity. Anomalous electrical activity can be indicative of disease states or other physiological conditions that can range from benign to deadly.
One example of such a physiological condition is atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation involves the loss of synchrony between the atria and the ventricles. In complex atrial fibrillation, long-lived wavelets of depolarization travel along circular paths in the atria. This can lead to irregular ventricular beating as well as blood stagnation and clotting in the atria.
Atrial fibrillation is among the most common forms of cardiac arrhythmia and may affect more than two million people annually. Atrial fibrillation has been associated with stroke, congestive heart failure, and cardiomyopathy.
Another example of such a physiological condition is atrial flutter. Atrial flutter also involves the loss of synchrony between the atria and the ventricles. In atrial flutter, multiple atrial waveforms reach the atrioventricular (AV) node during each ventricular beat due to, e.g., atrial scars, an atrial infarction, or a re-entrant circuit encircling a portion of the right atrium.
Atrial flutter is less common than atrial fibrillation but is also associated with stroke, congestive heart failure, and cardiomyopathy.